Abstract

Sixty-four forty-day old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of thirty-two each. One group was left untreated as controls, and the other group was administered 150 mg NaF/L (68 ppm F–) in their drinking water to assess changes in epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) expression induced by fluoride in the testes by using an immunohistochemical assay. After ten consecutive days of exposure to fluoride, decreased EGF expression occurred in the Leydig cells, spermatogonia, and spermatocytes, along with diminished EGFR expression in the spermatocytes, and spermatids of testicular tissues. This decrease in expression of EGF and its receptor in Leydig cells and spermatogenic cells may be one of the pathways that can impair reproductive function.